It is important to understand which file format to use when saving work for any given task. Certain formats may deliver a file that is too large to email or use on a website, while other format may cause an image to become 'lossy' and loose vital definition required for high-res printing.
Below is a list of the most commonly used file formats with descriptions.
|
Format
|
Extension
|
Information
|
Pro's
|
Con's
|
| Photoshop |
*.psd |
Photoshop format is Photoshop s own default file format. |
Will save separate layers and layer styles. Will preserve editable text and vector graphics. |
Does not have compress. This will result in large file sizes. Not always excepted by other software applications. Not usable for web-design. |
| Jpeg |
*.jpg |
Joint Photographic Experts Group format is commonly used for saving photographic images for the web and email. |
Will compress files down to a fraction of the original size. 16 million colours available. Adjustable compression rate for image optimisation. |
A poor choice for graphical images. If too much compression is applied when saving, an image will become damaged with artifacts and quality reduced. |
| GIF |
*.gif |
A format commonly used for the internet, email and multimedia to display graphical information. |
Can facilitate transparency information. Reduce file sizes due to selectable colour palettes based around run-length encoding (based on LZW compression). Great choice for graphics, line-art and text. |
Poor quality on photographic images due to limited palette of up to 256 colours available. |
| TIFF |
*.tif |
Tagged-Image File Format is supported by virtually all DTP and paint/image editor applications. The format is commonly used by the graphic design and photographic industries. |
Will protect image quality. Preserves layers, annotations, transparencies and alpha channels. Preserves 16 million colours. Also can be saved with loss-less LZW compression to reduce file sizes. |
Large file size. Not usable for web-design. |
| Photoshop EPS |
*.eps |
Encapsulated Post-Script format is commonly used by the design industrial for graphics designated for print. |
Will retain both vector and pixels based image information. Preserves 16 million colours. JPEG compression (optional). |
Will not preserve clipping path information. Lossy with Jpeg compression. Not usable for web-design. |
| PDF |
*.pdf |
Portable Document Format is cross platform and widely excepted by the print industry. Readable using Adobe Acrobat Reader (free). |
Embeds editable text, vector graphics and pixel-based images. Will encapsulate fonts for safe cross-platform reliability. Can incorporate Jpeg compression for pixels based elements. |
Can be used on the web but require some know to setup correctly. |
